Rep. Keith Ellison has officially jumped into the race to lead the Democratic Party.
{mosads}The Minnesota Democrat is already working to establish himself as the progressive choice for the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) reckoning after Hillary Clinton’s shocking loss to Republican nominee Donald Trump last week in the presidential election.
“Democrats win when we harness the power of everyday people and fight for the issues they care about. It is not enough for Democrats to ask for voters’ support every two years. We must be with them through every lost paycheck, every tuition hike, and every time they are the victim of a hate crime. … We must begin the rebuilding process now,” he said in a statement.
He appeared on MSNBC Monday evening to further promote his bid for the leadership role. He’s the first Muslim elected to Congress and is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.
“The real issue is vision, where are you going to take the party,” Ellison said. “My vision is to focus our attention on strengthening the grassroots, put our priority on voter turnout, and to campaign 365 days a year and then talking door to door with people in their neighborhoods and in their communities.”
Ellison touted his work ethic in response to a question about former DNC chairman Howard Dean, who is also seeking the job and has said he thinks it should be a full-time position for whoever holds it.
“I have a work ethic that people who know me know that nobody’s going to outwork me,” Ellison said. “I’m going to be tireless working all the time and I’m going to be making sure that the message gets to the people.”
“This is not a job just for one person, we’re going to raise and inspire millions of people all over this country, anybody who thinks this is just one guys who is going to do everything, it’s not true, my vision will be to empower people across the grassroots.”
Ellison already has the backing of a handful of Democratic heavyweights — including former presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), outgoing Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) and likely future Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.).
His campaign for leader also released a slew of other endorsements as a show of force, including Sens. Chris Murphy (Conn.) and Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Reps. Raúl Grijalva (Ariz.), Mark Pocan (Wis.) and DNC vice chairman R.T. Rybak, as well as the Minnesota, Wisconsin and Hawaii Democratic Party chairs.
Ellison is the co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and he was an outspoken supporter of Sanders’s presidential bid.
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley is considering a bid, as well.
Updated 8:44 p.m.